Lonely. It’s a word Julia uses over and over again to describe her experience as a new Canadian.

An immigrant from Ukraine, Julia was at home with young children and found her lack of English skills isolating. “And when you stay at home, you have no friends,” says Julia.

Julia did her best to pick up language skills from the television, which helped with understanding, but not with speaking. She notes how difficult and frustrating it was to deal with everything from the doctor to the drug mart to the grocery store.

Julia says her life changed when she connected with The Salvation Army’s Barbara Mitchell Family Resource Centre in Calgary. She enrolled in language classes, and her children began taking programs. Julia credits the staff at the Centre for helping her through the citizenship process.

“I have maybe 40 or 50 friends from the Barbara Mitchell Centre,” says Julia. “We go to the playground together. All the teachers are my friends. Every teacher can talk with me and help me.

“Thank you, Salvation Army. For my classes. For my English. For my life.”